Avs Opening Night To Be Shown Nationally On OLN

Stamford, CT (August 9, 2006) - OLN, the national cable television home of the National Hockey League (NHL), announced the television schedule for the 2006-07 regular season. The network, which will change its name to Versus on September 25, will be there when the NHL returns to the ice on Wednesday, October 4, with an Opening Night double-header featuring Buffalo at Carolina followed by the Avalanche hosting the Dallas Stars.

The Avalanche will make a total of seven appearances on Versus this season, which includes matchups against the Dallas Stars, Detroit Red Wings, San Jose Sharks, Nashville Predators, Anaheim Ducks and Boston Bruins. Listed here are Colorado's appearances on the network.

Wednesday, October 4
Dallas at Colorado (8:00 p.m. MT)

Monday, November 20
Colorado at Dallas (6:00 p.m. MT)

Tuesday, January 9
Detroit at Colorado (7:00 p.m. MT)

Monday, January 15
Colorado at San Jose (8:00 p.m. MT)

Tuesday, January 30
Nashville at Colorado (6:00 p.m. MT)

Tuesday, February 13
Anaheim at Colorado (7:00 p.m. MT)

Tuesday, March 6
Colorado at Boston (5:00 p.m. MT)

As in the network's first season with the NHL, fans can turn to Versus for exclusive national coverage of the most intense NHL rivalries on Monday and Tuesday nights. Additionally, this season's schedule features a Game of the Week, wherein Versus will be the only place on television to catch an NHL game in the U.S. at that time.

"In the network's second year as the cable home of the NHL we worked closely with the league to craft a schedule that features the best match-ups and delivers the most exciting games to our audience," said Gavin Harvey, President of the network. "Having a Game of the Week is a fantastic addition because hockey fans will automatically know to turn to Versus on those nights."

In total, Versus will present 54 regular-season games, All-Star weekend, wall-to-wall playoff action and the first two games of the Stanley Cup Final.

The network's NHL schedule highlights some of the most exciting hockey games of the season such as Philadelphia vs. New York Rangers, Boston vs. Montreal, and Detroit vs. Colorado. Every U.S.-based team will be featured on Versus at least once during the regular season, with teams like the Avalanche, New York Rangers and Detroit Red Wings making seven appearances each. Mike "Doc" Emrick will return as the network's lead play-by-play announcer. He will be joined all season long by the best NHL announcers in the game today, including Eddie Olczyk, Joe Beninati, Bob Harwood and Darren Eliot. Additions to the network's hockey commentating team will be released as details become available.